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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. branch — a division
  8. cue — a hint
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. key — for a lock
  14. foot — a measure
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rest — a break
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chip — to eat
  23. key — in music
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com